BSI Brings Brings Full Spectrum of Excitement to ESPN Breeders’ Cup Coverage

For the 7th consecutive year, Broadcast Sports, Inc., (BSI) will provide their HD RF Cameras, Wireless Talent Microphones, Wireless Effects Microphones, and monitoring and distribution facilities for live coverage of The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which returns to historic Churchill Downs, in Louisville, KY, Nov. 5-6.

ESPN also tapped BSI to provide wireless HD cameras, talent microphones and communications for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series of events at Keeneland in Lexington, KY and Woodbine in Toronto, ONT prior to the Breeders’ Cup Championship event at Churchill Downs.  BSI is no stranger to the challenges of coverage at Churchill Downs after years of coverage of the Kentucky Derby. Unlike other single race thoroughbred events, the Breeders’ Cup requires lengthy roving coverage over long days and wireless systems are an integral part of this coverage

“Whether it’s human, horse or car racing, if it moves fast we cover it—and we cover it from the inside,” says Mark Polla, BSI’s sales & marketing manager.  “When it comes to providing the wide area coverage at the Breeders’ Cup, from the barns through the paddock onto the track and into the winners circle, BSI’s technology and expertise deliver a unique angle to the story.”

Horse racing presents a difficult environment as the coverage is spread out over the large area of a racing venue.  BSI’s expertise gives its broadcast partners the flexibility to capture the right moments in the right places, whether views of the race itself or content from behind-the-scenes.

Seamless coverage throughout the various areas cannot be achieved with traditional single receive point infrastructure.  BSI will deploy seven small-footprint RF over fiber sites throughout the facility delivering coverage of the barns, track, paddock, winner’s circle, betting booths and high profile guest seating areas. These units provide diversity reception at each site and carry the appropriate spectrum back to the mobile unit over fiber optic cable.

“By marrying multiple receive points together into overlapping coverage areas, BSI removes the typical constraints that frustrate broadcasters and limit their coverage possibilities,” says Clay Underwood, Technology Development Manager at BSI. “Directors and Producers are free to follow the action and quickly alter their approach to follow whatever story might unfold.”

Personnel costs are also reduced as one engineer can monitor and QC all the incoming elements.  All reception and decoding equipment is centrally located, allowing for fast fault finding and quick changes to configuration if required.  Weather issues are mitigated as the remote sites are waterproof and all the sensitive electronics are in the safety of the mobile unit.

As with any high profile event, spectrum availability is an issue to delivering interference free wireless elements.  However, BSI can deliver services outside of normal remote broadcast frequencies.  The HD RF cameras and BSI’s exclusive MIC1500 wireless microphones offer the broadcaster utilize spectrum unencumbered by local broadcasters and facility production elements.

BSI has been a key component in Belmont Stakes coverage since 2004.  Since that first event, BSI has provided RF camera and microphone coverage for all the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup events.  BSI has supplied similar equipment and services to the 2010 Whistler, Canada, 1996 Atlanta, 1998 Nagano, and 2000 Sydney Olympics as well as the 2010 X-Games and the 2010 Dew Cup.

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